Stay True to Yourself by Benedictine University blogger Karly Sacco

There are many changes that happen between senior year of high school, and going into your freshman year of college. There are more temptations that you have to control and learn from. Being a senior I know that it is extremely important your first year of college to learn right away how to be safe at school. Have common sense. If you go into your first year with your head held high, your confidence, and your guard is up then you are off to a great start. Unfortunately for girls, we cannot be too trusting of others right away. We will always have our guard up whether we want it to be there or not. We have all been hurt in the past, so that shield automatically stays up where ever we go.

However, when you’re starting off at a new school that comes in handy. I am going to sound really cliché and say this but, don’t fall into per-pressure. If you don’t want to do something, then don’t do it. It’s as simple as that! Stay true to yourself and let people like you for your true self, instead of being fake and then you might end up not having any true friends right off the bat.

Being a freshman is scary; we have all been there. Everything seems so new, big exciting, and crazy all at the same time. But as I said before you have to keep your head held high and focus on why your there in the first place which is to go to school and have an amazing time. I know when I first started college; I was not very social or involved in any groups. But as soon as I opened up and became friends with people that were interested in the same hobbies as me, it made me feel safe and wanted by students just like me. So it is okay to talk to random people, just try to have a good judge of character. If someone is being kind of weird, or you have a bad vibe, maybe you shouldn’t continue to be friends with him or her. But once you do find a good group of friends, stay with them and maintain a great relationship with those people. They will be your safety net when you need someone to talk to, if something bad happens and you’re afraid, or even if your just scared to walk across campus at night and you need a buddy.

So my main advice for incoming freshmen is to not be afraid to have your guard up. If something feels off, then don’t pursue it. Once you find yourself, find a good group of friends you feel safe and comfortable with and that make you happy. As long as you stay true to yourself you will be fine!